Welcome to the home of the backcountry skiing blog from Off-Piste Magazine. Here we post backcountry ski gear reviews, feature stories and avalanche safety advice, plus ski news, events and more.
TGR – Make Believe It’s pushing 100-degrees Fahrenheit outside. It’s a great day to cool down with thoughts of the upcoming winter. TGR offers up Make Believe. For 25 years TGR has focused on turning ‘Make Believe’ into reality, from exploring powder stashes in our backyard playground to first descents on unnamed peaks, the ethos of “live the dream” has defined… Read More
Hut Trip Packing List Eat. Sleep. Ski. Repeat. Few experiences capture this mantra like a week-long backcountry hut trip. Waking up with the first climb just steps away from the front door is good living. And few places serve up the experience better than one of the many huts and lodges that make up the Backcountry Lodges of British Columbia… Read More
Outdoor Research Face Mask Review Welcome to the new norm – face mask required. There’s no need to debate or explain. The bottom line is that face mask wearing is going to be with us for the foreseeable future. Lots of great outdoor brands have jumped on face mask production, we thought we’d see what a nice commercially made face… Read More
Camelbak Chase Bike Vest Review One of the big limiting factors when setting out on an extended adventure ride is water carrying capacity. It takes a lot of water to stay hydrated on a 100+ mile ride. The obvious solution is a hydration pack. But when traveling light is your goal, most hydration packs are overkill. The Camelbak Chase bike… Read More
Club Ride Mountain Surf Shorts – Adventure Ride Ready I don’t need to remind anyone that ski season came to an abrupt end in late March this year. The upside has been an early start to the adventure pedaling season here in the Pacific Northwest. With mountain bike access limited, the gravel bike has taken center stage. In other words,… Read More
Wacaco Nanopresso – Portable Espresso Maker Strong coffee and adventure go hand in hand. When traveling and backcountry trips require packing your own coffee making supplies, you can go as basic as a cone filter or upgrade to the popular Aeropress. Both methods offer a solid approach to brewing a stout cup of coffee with its own merits. For those who… Read More
G3 Minimist Climbing Skins I’m a minimalist by nature. Less is more has proven to be a solid motto for most things backcountry skiing. Well, maybe not when it comes to the width of my skis, but today’s wide skis help fuel the less is more mantra, because if you’re gonna slide around on 110-130mm underfoot, you better lighten your… Read More
DPS Phantom I’ve always enjoyed the ritual of waxing of skis. In the fall, it marks the approaching ski season. During the season, it harkens the call of a powder day or the anticipation of an extended trip deserving of fresh glide. Ski waxing can be a social event or a good reason to dissappear into your workshop. So when… Read More
The Ogso Schwarztor – A Quiver of One – 135-104-120 Choosing one pair of skis to do it all in the backcountry is a big ask. There’s no shortage of good skis. It’s finding the one ski that blends playful powder skiing with confident control while keeping it light underfoot that’s the hard part. I typically spend my winter on… Read More
DPS Skis – Shadow Campaign – Lonely Star DPS Cinematic is back with Volume VI of the Shadow Campaign ski film series. Skiers Santiago Guzman, Piers Solomon and Zack Giffin inspire winter adventures with their snow sliding skills from Mt Baker to Revelstoke. Here’s what DPS Skis has to say . . . An ill-fated explorer finds himself marooned on… Read More
Candide Thovex Skis the Great Wall of China Candide Thovex skis the Great Wall of China without Snow Candide Thovex never ceases to amaze. I think he’s actually pushing the climate change thing a bit by skiing on everything but snow while we still have snow to ski on, but maybe he’s just securing his future for a world without… Read More
Ski Waxing for the Backcountry Backcountry skiing is a far cry from ski racing, but freshly waxed skis are still important to keep you sliding and slashing through the pow. And the good news is that ski waxing for the backcountry is not rocket science. In fact, it’s down right simple. You just need a few basic tools and supplies… Read More
The Man Behind the Maps – Legendary Ski Artist James Niehues Ski resorts and trail maps are synonymous. We’ve all poured over a resort map taking in the detail in search of the best terrain and the right runs or simply to decide which way to go. You might have guessed that ski resort trail maps are digitally rendered photographs…. Read More
Layering for Backcountry Skiing – Baselayers and Midlayers Dressing for a full day of backcountry skiing requires a balance of breathability and weather protection. And the only way to really achieve the balance is through layering. It’s not rocket science, but it is easy to overdress for ski touring. It’s an aerobic activity, and you need to be prepared to… Read More
Abandoned – A Film about Lost Ski Areas Abandoned is about a crew of backcountry skiers who set out to explore Colorado’s lost ski areas in hopes to find adventure amongst the ruins. Instead, they discover the truth behind what made these areas close their doors for good and illustrates what skiing used to be like before mega resorts and… Read More
